


Your war is here

by tigriswolf



Series: Alternate Universe [271]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes is so tragic, Canon-Typical Violence, Captain America: The Winter Soldier Compliant, F/M, Gen, M/M, Not Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie) Compliant, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers hates scapegoating, Team, burning the world till the lesson sticks, the ex-Winter Soldier chooses a new name every week
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-02
Updated: 2015-04-02
Packaged: 2018-03-20 21:43:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3666285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tigriswolf/pseuds/tigriswolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is how it starts: “Five exams in five cities.” </p><p>This is how it ends:  “You want him, you go through me.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your war is here

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Your war is here  
> Fandom: Marvel movies  
> Disclaimer: not my characters; title from Adrienne Rich  
> Warnings: references to violence/torture  
> Pairings: Steve/Bucky, Bruce/Betty  
> Rating: PG  
> Wordcount: 1500  
> Point of view: third

This is how it starts: an execution order is handed down for the man once known as the Winter Soldier. 

This is how it ends: bloody and on fire. 

.

He’s lost count of how many times he’s been asked some variation of _You don’t know when to quit, do you?_

He’s always answered with a smirk and _I can do this all day._

Everyone knows Steve Rogers is a good man. 

What they should’ve known is that every good man has a point where he shatters. 

.

“Sir,” Jarvis says, in the middle of the night, knocking Tony out of an eighteen-hour work binge. “You need to see this.” 

“Oh, fucking shit,” Tony says, after. “J, get Rogers on the line right now.” 

.

Once, Tony Stark had been kidnapped and held captive, forced to work for people he knew would either kill him or hold him indefinitely. He was prisoner for three months, body modified without his consent, his fellow captive died in his stead, and then he learned that one of the few people he actually cared for had arranged it all (except, he wanted Tony dead). 

Rhodey looked for him the whole time.

So, yeah, however this shakes out, Tony knows where he stands. 

.

This is how it starts: “What about this operative?” a department head says, hitting a button to show a blurry image on the screen. “Dozens of missions, over decades – surely, we can publically bring this bastard to justice?” 

The committee argues, of course, but scapegoats are lovely things. 

.

This is how it ends: They run the headline for weeks, and the one picture goes down in history – _Captain America Rogue_ and a bloody shield broken into pieces. 

Steve Rogers knows the power of symbols; he’s been one for more decades then he’s actually lived. 

.

“Fuck!” Clint shouts, diving out of the way of the goon’s fucking rocket launcher. “Nat, I really hate being the distraction!” 

He can’t hear her over the explosion, but he knows she’s snickering at him. Rocket Launcher Goon goes down, and then Goon 1 and Goon 2, and Clint grins, scaling what remains of the wall. He’s already got the perfect nest picked out, and one of the flyer’s kindly left him an arsenal. 

“On my mark,” he murmurs, the ringing in his ears settling down. He takes aim.

Clint’s never met Barnes. He knows the Winter Soldier could’ve killed Nat multiple times but didn’t, and that he actively saved Steve’s life once. He knows the ex-Winter Soldier has been eradicating Hydra one agent at a time, that Steve and Wilson have been following the destruction and/or cleaning up as necessary. He knows what it’s like to wake and realize what has been done with your hands, your knowledge. 

“Three,” he says. “Two.” 

Cut off one head, more will grow. Sometimes, there’s no excising the cancer. Sometimes, it’s all gotta burn to start over. 

“Go,” he says, letting the arrow fly. 

.

Johan Schmidt was the first, Steve Rogers the second, James Barnes the third. There are others, each an attempt to recreate what Abraham Erskine was the only successful creator of: the perfect superhuman specimen. There has been one success. 

Bruce Banner just wants peace. 

“You don’t have to do this, Doc,” Steve tells him. “I shouldn’t have asked it of you.” Steve looks so heartbreakingly young, on the verge of tears. He also clearly needs to sleep for at least 12 hours, but probably won’t. 

Wherever he is, Barnes probably looks just as young. Natasha, too. Children, all of them, created and discarded weapons. 

“You remember what they said, about the Civil War?” Bruce asks. He can feel the Other Guy stretching in his mind, getting ready. They’ve come to a truce, mostly, and there are some things they agree on.

“What in particular?” Steve says, looking puzzled. 

“It was an old man’s war, Steve,” Bruce tells him, “but a young man’s fight.” He shakes his head, glancing over at Wilson, putting the finishing touches on breakfast, and then to the link-up with Jarvis, one of the many suits Tony has operational throughout the world.

Steve’s puzzled expression doesn’t clear. Bruce just smiles at him. “Don’t worry about me,” he says. 

There’s been one true success, the way Erskine would’ve called it. Lots of terrible people would consider Barnes a success, too. But Bruce – the Other Guy chuckles darkly, and Bruce agrees. They are a success by no one’s definition, but what they are can be useful. 

Bruce isn’t a fighter. Never has been, never wanted to be. He looks at Steve, then Wilson, thinks about Tony and Pepper, about Barnes and Natasha and Clint, wherever they are, whatever dangerous things they’re doing. 

He mailed a letter yesterday afternoon and has no idea if Betty will ever get it. It’s a dangerous world, now. 

“I’ve been running and hiding,” Bruce says. “Didn’t want to hurt anybody. Terrified that the Other Guy would come out.” He shakes his head, smiles sadly. “I’m not gonna run and I’m not gonna hide anymore. You need my help because I’m the only one who _can_ help.” 

They’re two halves, him and the Other Guy. They’re two halves and they can do good now. 

“Okay,” Steve says, nodding firmly. 

.

This is how it starts: “… Bucky?” 

This is how it ends: a slow, deep breath as blood drips drips drips. 

.

Once the committee formed to root out Hydra’s tendrils in the United States’ government realizes what their actions have wrought, their appointed spokesperson attempts to negotiate with Steve Rogers via Tony Stark. They even rescind the execution on sight order for the operative known as Winter Soldier, as well as try to reverse their smear campaign on the aforementioned operative in the media. 

“You’re still calling him Winter Soldier,” Stark says. “Also, I’m afraid it’s gone a little too far.” He smiles into the camera. “Also also, three of you are Hydra, so fuck off till you’ve cleaned up, ‘kay?” He cuts the connection as they all stare at each other in horror and rising suspicion. 

.

The hydra has many heads. Heracles defeats it with its own poison and fire. 

“Do you truly think,” Pierce’s heir crows, “that you can win?” 

Natasha’s hands are bound and she’s shackled to the wall. 

In fifteen minutes, she will smile at the corpse and say, “Thank you for your cooperation.” 

.

This is how it starts: “You know, I don’t have to kill you,” Hawkeye tells the Black Widow. 

This is how it ends: _I’m sorry, I’m so sorry_. 

.

“You don’t have to be alone,” Steve says. He’s so tired. 

“You just don’t know when to quit, do ya?” Bu-Ja- _the ex-Winter Soldier_ says. 

“Never have,” Steve agrees, shaking his head. 

His oldest, best friend just stares at him. Steve waits. Finally, he sighs and rolls his eyes. “What you’re doing is stupid,” he says, but Steve just grins at him. 

“What should I call you?” he asks. 

“Bucky works,” _Bucky_ says. 

.

 

This is how it starts: “Five exams in five cities.” 

This is how it ends: “You want him, you go through me.” 

.

Or, no, this is how it starts: “Hey, leave ‘im alone!” 

Or this: “I’m with ya till the end of the line.” 

Or maybe this: “James Buchanan Barnes, but you can call me Bucky.” 

And it ends, and it ends, and it ends. 

.

“You don’t know when to give up, d’ya, Stevie?” he mutters, watching Steve scroll through the newsfeeds. 

Steve sighs. “There are right things, and there’re wrong things.” He glances over with a sad smile. “The world’s not done right by you and if it takes burning everything down, that’s what I’ll do.” 

“I’m a lost cause,” he murmurs, almost hoping Steve doesn’t hear it. 

Of course Steve hears it. “No more lost than me,” Steve says.

.

Thor watches Rogers and the man going by James (for now), and he thinks about fallen brothers, and he vows (only to himself), _I failed my brother, Captain. I shall help defend yours._

.

“Captain!” one of the five journalists allowed into the Tower for the press conference shouts. “Captain, what are your plans now?” 

“What’s your explanation for all the destruction?” another shouts. 

“Will the Winter Soldier be here?” a third demands and Steve focuses on him. 

“Jim,” Steve says into the sudden silence. He wonders what his expression looks like, because they’re all frightened. “He goes by Jim today. In your articles and your reports, you’ll call him Sergeant Barnes or the ex-Winter Soldier. Understood?” 

They all nod frantically or say, “Yes, Captain.” 

He smiles. “Good,” he says. “Now, I’m going to call on you alphabetically and you get three questions each, after my speech.” 

.

The speech is succinct and all the more terrifying for its brevity. 

After the fifteen questions, the five shell-shocked journalists are escorted out. 

The speech is aired on every news channel in the world, but the questions are only available via each journalist. 

“Was he always that scary?” Clint asks Jim. 

Jim looks bewildered. “Scary?” 

Natasha laughs so hard she cries. 

.

This is how it starts: “I had ‘em on the ropes,” the tiny scrap of a boy mutters, blood dripping from his face. 

This is how it ends: “You and me against all comers,” the stupid punk says. “How it always shoulda been.”


End file.
